Naima Jeffery
Naima Jeffery was the unhappy, defiant wife of Saeed Jeffery via an arranged marriage until 1986. She would often rebel against Saeed's wishes for her and him to have sex and for them to start sleeping in the same bed, as she was never interested in her husband from the day they met. She eventually decided to consummate her marriage to Saeed, but when she learnt he had secretly been visiting a brothel, their marriage broke down, and she ran away. She returned in late 1985 and, following Saeed's decision to leave, her family started sending more of her cousins over to the UK for her to marry. She disapproved of her family's determination to see her marry, and when they sent over her cousin Rezaul Gabir to help her run the shop, Naima had enough. However, in 1987, another one of her cousins, Farrukh, arrived on the Square to woo her. Naima found herself falling in love with Farrukh and once he returned to Bangladesh, she realised he was the one she wanted to marry. Farrukh returned to visit Naima once more in November 1987 where she agreed to return to Bangladesh and marry him. Biography 1985-1987: Searching for love Naima met Saeed Jeffery through his and her parents. Saeed fell in love with Naima upon setting eyes on her, but Naima's feelings were not mutual. Naima and Saeed were forced into an arranged marriage, which displeased Naima. They both ran Walford's Foodstore together, but their relationship was not rosy. Naima often defied Saeed, and they did not sleep in the same bedroom. Saeed desperately wanted to start a family with Naima, but she was not interested. Instead, Naima wanted to embrace Western culture, so she cut her hair short and became determined to learn to drive. Saeed quickly became unhappy in his marriage with Naima, as they did not have sex. This led him to visit a brothel behind Naima's back. Eventually, Naima decided to consummate her marriage with Saeed, still unaware he had visited brothels. The pair's relationship saw significant improvements until Naima discovered Saeed had been visiting brothels. She fled Walford after seeking advice from several residents and did not return until December 1985, where she told Saeed to return to Bangladesh and find someone who wanted to be with him and have a family with him. The pair reconciled before Saeed's departure, and he left on Boxing Day 1985 to return to Bangladesh. Following Saeed's departure, Naima was unable to stay where she and Saeed lived, at 47B Albert Square. She sold their flat and moved in with her friend Debbie Wilkins, who ran the Foodstore alongside her. Following Saeed's departure, Naima attracted the attention of Simon Wicks and Dr Singh, and although she had relationships with both of them, neither relationships developed into anything more serious. Naima's parents also decided to try and make her remarry. They sent over several cousins to try and woo Naima, but she was not interested in any of them. She was more interested in making a life for herself, and in mid-1986, she renamed the Foodstore First Til Last. In December 1986, Naima's family sent over another cousin, Rezaul Gabir, to try and woo Naima but also help her run the shop. Naima was unimpressed with her family's intervention, determined to run the shop how she wanted to. In 1987, Rezaul admitted to Naima that he did not fancy her, nor want to marry her. Naima was relieved at her cousin's confession and celebrated with a drink. However, her parents were determined not to give up and then sent Farrukh, another cousin of Naima's, to visit her. Upon meeting Farrukh, Naima realised she genuinely liked him. Farrukh was different from her other cousins, as he was an influential politician in Bangladesh. Naima found herself becoming attracted to Farrukh, and when he returned to Bangladesh following his short visit, she found herself missing him. Farrukh and Naima sent postcards to each other, and he returned to Walford to see Naima once more in November 1987. He asked Naima to return to Bangladesh with him and marry her, so the next day, she sold the shop and left with him. Background information *Naima was one of the original set of twenty-three characters in EastEnders and appeared in the first episode. *Naima was originally going to be called Najma, named after co-creator Tony Holland's Bengali friend. *Naima's absence from the serial between August and December 1985 was due to Shreela Ghosh taking up maternity leave. First and last lines "He didn't come in for his milk. For three days!" (First line, about Reg Cox to Pauline Fowler) --- "I've left a few presents and a letter for Pauline and Arthur. Tell them I'll miss them. I'll miss Walford too. We're getting married on Saturday. Where he goes, I go." (Final line, to Lou Beale) See also *Full list of appearances Category:EastEnders characters Category:Original characters Category:1985 debuts Category:1987 departures Category:Foodstore owners Category:Residents of 43 Albert Square Category:Residents of 45 Albert Square Category:Residents of 47B Albert Square Category:First Til Last owners